featured – CHAMPS Health

White Paper: Navigating Informed Consent in Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Involving Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS): The Kenyan Experience

We are pleased to announce the release of our latest white paper, which explores the ethical landscape of child mortality surveillance in Kenya. Developed through the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) program, this paper offers a deep dive into the complexities of obtaining voluntary informed consent for Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS) in […]

Intern Spotlight | Aliani Ahamada Saif-Dinne : Shaping the Future of Research

From May 2 to September 30, 2025, Aliani Ahamada Saif-Dinne joined the CHAMPS team in Manhiça, Mozambique, contributing to the ongoing research efforts at the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM). Aliani is an MSc in Mathematical Sciences graduate from the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Rwanda, specializing in Malaria Modeling. During his five-month […]

Intern Spotlight | John Oluwabori Ayanwale : Shaping the Future of Research

From May 1 to August 31, 2025, the CHAMPS Mozambique site – Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM) hosted John Oluwabori Ayanwale as part of the CHAMPS internship program. John joined the team from the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Rwanda. With an MSc in Mathematical Sciences and a specialized focus on Malaria Modelling, […]

Intern Spotlight | Adewole Odunayo Grace: Shaping the Future of Research

Last summer, the CHAMPS Sierra Leone team was joined by Adewole Odunayo Grace, an intern from the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Rwanda. Specializing in Mathematical Epidemiology, Grace spent three months (May 15 – August 31, 2025) applying her technical background to public health surveillance. Her work focused on using mathematical modeling to better […]

Ethiopia Takes a Bold Step: Launching a Unified Strategy for Double-Fortified Salt to Prevent Neural Tube Defects

Neural tube defects (NTDs), including spina bifida and anencephaly, are severe congenital conditions affecting the brain and spine. Nearly all NTDs are a result of low folic acid levels in pregnant women during very early pregnancy. While approximately 65 countries have implemented mandatory folic acid fortification of staple grains to combat NTDs, over 100 countries […]

How the Gates Foundation is solving a tragic mystery: Why do children and mothers die prematurely?

The body of a 1-year-old boy lay on a bare examination table in Soweto, South Africa—looking precious and small, heartbreakingly beyond help. In the dimly lit room, two researchers did their work methodically and in silence, taking samples from the child’s brain, lungs, and liver with a needle and swab, and then carefully packaging them to be sent for testing. Then the child’s body was gently lifted into a postmortem pouch, to be sent for a proper burial. […]

CHAMPS and HPI Pioneer Digital Storytelling for Global Health Communication

In a significant stride towards enhancing global health communication, the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) program, in collaboration with the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), successfully hosted its inaugural StoryHelper Workshop on Digital Storytelling for Global Health. Held virtually via Zoom from July 14th to 17th, 2025, the four-day intensive workshop equipped communications officers […]

CHAMPS Network Marks 10 Years of Impact: Advancing Knowledge, Saving Lives

The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Network commemorated its 10th anniversary with a landmark gathering held in Nairobi, Kenya, from April 27 to May 1, 2025. Convened under the theme “Celebrating 10 Years of CHAMPS: Advancing Knowledge and Saving Lives,” the event brought together CHAMPS scientists from 9 sites across Africa and Southeast Asia […]

Building Quality Informatics to Save Lives

March 1, 2017 Better data can help save young lives – that’s the core belief at the heart of CHAMPS’s work. Although under-five mortality has been halved over the last 25 years, a lack of complete, timely data has hampered efforts to reduce that number even more. That’s why CHAMPS is investing in unprecedented data […]